info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

Local control downs governor’s attempt to delay the start of school

info2020-07-24T08:38:13-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

The specific date when your children return to school is now up to your local school board. "The timeline is different for every community and every school board to address this," said Ben Jones from Sterling. "And this executive order does not give that flexibility to our local districts. Jones voted against endorsing the governor's order. "It was all about flexibility and local control for me," said Ann Mah, Topeka. Then she added, "But this isn't about me. And in the time of a pandemic, it's not about local control either. If Kansans wanted local control over all aspects of education, [...]

Andover librarian makes over 1,700 face masks, donates to community and first responders

info2020-07-24T08:38:25-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

The Andover Fire-Rescue is one of many organizations excited to receive an unexpected surprise in the form of handmade reusable face masks from a local seamstress. Retired librarian Cheri Nienke is an avid quilter who shifted her focus to mask making in March when she saw a need for those with extra materials. While many were asking how they could help, Nienke, who has been sewing since she was 8-years-old said she was happy to use her skills and surplus of fabric to help her neighbors and community. Neinke has made over 1700 masks but as never sold one. Instead, she [...]

Local school districts tackle rising costs as they make plans to reopen safely

info2020-07-24T08:39:01-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

Local school districts are working on reopening plans and one of their major challenges is finances. As districts work to implement new safety measures, the costs are piling up. Local mom Brandy Nelson has got her hands full with two kids, one who’s going into first grade. “I want to send him to school,” Nelson said. “I tried homeschooling for a couple of months when the whole thing started and I can not do homeschooling.” Schools want students back too, but they’re trying to figure out how to do it safely. Lew Faust is the Director of Business Services for the [...]

Lindsborg’s first house undergoes renovation

info2020-07-24T08:40:34-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

When James Prugh bought the oldest house in Lindsborg, he had an idea — renovate the old stone house and open a guest house. “My contractor stripped everything away to its ‘bare stones,‘” Prugh said.” It was rebuilt to take full advantage of its historic features with every modern amenity seamlessly integrated into the structure. My vacation rental is called ‘Stenhuset,’ Swedish for ‘the stone house.’” There was a big challenge to overcome in the project — because of its age, the house lacked plumbing and electrical wiring. To create a vacation rental that had to change. Non-historic additions to the [...]

McPherson County Fair goes on despite COVID-19

info2020-07-24T08:40:48-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

An event like a county fair takes months of preparation by dozens of volunteers. With the uncertainty of mandates for closures due to the COVID-19 virus, the McPherson County Fair Board decided to proceed with caution and take advantage of the open-air setting for participants and fairgoers to spread out and social distance. A few events like the Pedal Tractor Pull and free BBQ and ice cream dinner were cancelled, but the competitions went on, including the Junior Rodeo, CPA Rodeo and Demolition Derby. “Some departments were down on entries, but we were pleased overall with participation,” Vaughn Ingram, one of the [...]

Roeland Park sees positive property, sales and use taxes despite COVID-19 shutdowns

info2020-07-24T08:41:47-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

The Roeland Park City Council on Monday evening heard a second quarter financial report that included the impact COVID-19 shutdowns had on sales taxes. Although the city of Roeland Park anticipated sales and use taxes to be negatively impacted due to the shutdowns, Assistant City Administrator Jennifer Jones-Lacy said the city’s overall sales taxes are up by 4% compared to 2019. The city’s larger businesses — including grocery stores, a hardware store and a general purpose store — remained open, causing the sales tax figures to “come in quite well,” Jones-Lacy said. “The good news is that Roeland Park is doing [...]

City of Wellington and Ascension Via Christi- St. Francis enters into lease agreement to build E.R. in early 2021

info2020-07-24T08:41:57-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

While most of the discussion was about mask mandates, perhaps, the biggest story of the night was the one that received little discussion of all. The City of Wellington entered into a lease agreement for a portion of the former Sumner Regional Medical Center so that Ascension Via Christi in Wichita can build an emergency care center. Under the agreement approved by the Wellington City Council at its meeting yesterday, the ER will re-open in early 2021 as a department of Ascension which is the legal entity that operates Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph. The [...]

Municipal Bond Trends for July 22, 2020

info2020-07-23T07:59:11-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of MBIS "investment grade" yields. Every issuer's credit is different. For rates that may be applicable to your municipality, contact our Municipal Bond Advisors, Larry Kleeman and Beth Warren.

Governor Laura Kelly and Department of Commerce Launch New Kansas Certified Sites Program

info2020-07-23T07:54:43-05:00July 23rd, 2020|

Governor Laura Kelly today announced the Department of Commerce’s launch of the new Kansas Certified Sites program, a critical tool that will help accelerate economic development efforts throughout the state. The program, originally created and administered by the Kansas Economic Development Alliance (KEDA), lets developers know when the state has deemed a potential site ideal for investment and development. (Read more: Kansas Department of Commerce)

Emporia Main Street cancels the Taste 2020

info2020-07-23T07:55:08-05:00July 22nd, 2020|

After postponing the event to September, the Emporia Main Street Board of Directors have officially canceled The Taste. The announcement was made Tuesday. The event, originally scheduled for April 4, was postponed to Sept. 26 as the community grappled with the early stages of the novel coronavirus pandemic. "There was no way we felt like we could put the quality of people required to make that event work in an in-door location and make that safe for everyone involved," said Casey Woods, Executive Director of Emporia Main Street. "We went through in fine detail [of research] and just didn't think we [...]

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